Miagao

Miagao (also written Miag-ao), officially the Municipality of Miagao (Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx), is a municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the Template:PH wikidata, it has a population of Template:PH wikidata people.Template:PH wikidata

Miagao is considered as the "Onion Capital of the Visayas". The town center of the municipality lies on the western bank of the Tumagbok River, the largest river in the municipality.<ref name="Miagao Satellite Map">Miagao Satellite Map</ref> The poblacion is made up of eight barangays.<ref name="Miagao Barangays">Miagao Barangays Template:Webarchive</ref>

The town holds their patronal fiesta in honor of St. Thomas of Villanova (more commonly known as Santo Tomas de Villanueva) every September 22 that lasts several days. The town is also the location of one of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, the Miagao Church, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire town of Miagao was later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage City and became a member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC).

Etymology

The name of Miagao has many disputed etymologies. One of the most popular, and probably the most widely accepted version is that the name of the town was derived from a plant named Miagos. Miagos or Osmoxylon lineare is a flowering plant from the family Araliaceae that used to grow abundantly in the area when the Spaniards came. Because of its abundance in the area, the Spaniards named the place Miagos which later became Miagao. Another version, according to Rev. Fr. Lorenzo Torres of Igbaras, is that a native named "Miyagaw" was asked by the Spaniards for the name of the place but gave his name instead.<ref name="Miagao History">Miagao History</ref>

History

File:Miagos Plant.JPG

A picture of miagos plant at the front of Miagao Municipal Hall. Miagao derived its name from this plant.

A settlement in Damilisan were recorded by Spanish Map early in 1700 with 13,493 people and 2,974 houses.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Miagao gained its independence as a municipality in 1716 .<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Prior to that, it used to be a part of an arrabal of four different towns in southern Iloilo. Until 1580, Miagao was an arrabal of Oton. From 1580 until 1652, it was an arrabal of Tigbauan. It was an arrabal of Suaraga (now San Joaquin) from 1652 to 1703 and before becoming independent, it became an arrabal of Guimbal from 1703 to 1716. In 1731, Miagao had its first capitan and teniente mayor (now equivalent to mayor and vice mayor) after an election was held in Guimbal under the supervision of Victorino C. Ma., an authorized representative of the governor.<ref name="Miagao History"/>

Geography

Topography

Miagao is a coastal town with a hilly to mountainous terrain. Most of the flat areas in the municipality are found either in coasts or along the town's major rivers which include the Naulid, Tumagbok, Oyaoy, Bacauan, Tabunacan, Oyungan, Lanutan, and San Rafael rivers. A mountain range forms a natural boundary between Miagao and the province of Antique to the north.<ref name="miagao.tripod.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

The highest point in the municipality is the summit of Mount Tulajon, locally spelled as Tulahong, at 1,100 meters asl located in Barangay Ongyod.<ref name="ph.geoview.info">Template:Cite web</ref>

Climate

The municipality has a type I climate based on PAGASA's climate classification chart. The climate of Miagao is greatly affected by north-east and south-west monsoons. The town experiences a pronounced wet season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. The coolest months are the months of December to February while the hottest months are the months of April and May.<ref name="miagao.tripod.com"/> Template:Clear left

Barangays

File:Miagao Map with Roads and Labels.png

Map of the Municipality of Miagao showing barangay names and boundaries and roads.

File:Rafflesia (R. speciosa) in Miagao.jpg

This is a bloom of Rafflesia speciosa found in the mountainous barangays of Miagao.

File:Sinuhotan Cave in Miagao, Iloilo.jpg

Inside Sinuhotan Cave in Barangay Onop, Miagao, Iloilo

File:Tulahong Pine Forest in Miagao, Iloilo.jpg

Canopy of the Tulahong Pine Forest in Miagao, Iloilo

File:Tinagong Dagat in Barangay Ongyod, Miagao, Iloilo.jpg

Tinagong Dagat or Danao is a small freshwater lake on top of a mountain in Barangay Ongyod, Miagao.

File:Gui-ob ni Tidoy.jpg

Gui-ob ni Tidoy is a limestone monolith in Miagao, Iloilo near the Tulahong Pine Forest and Tinagong Dagat/Danao.

Miagao is politically subdivided into 119 barangays.Template:PSGC detail Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

It has more barangays than any other municipality in the Philippines.<ref>Barangay in numbers</ref> The municipality has 22 coastal barangays and 97 landlocked barangays.

Name	PSG Code<ref name="Philippine Standard Geographic Code">Template:Cite web</ref>	Population Template:SmallTemplate:PH census	Population Template:SmallTemplate:PH census	Template:PSGC rubric
Agdum	063030001	345	400	Template:PAGR
Aguiauan	063030002	460	481	Template:PAGR
Alimodias	063030003	764	652	Template:PAGR
Awang	063030004	156	139	Template:PAGR
Bacauan	063030006	611	624	Template:PAGR
Bacolod	063030007	471	515	Template:PAGR
Bagumbayan	063030008	939	988	Template:PAGR
Banbanan	063030009	485	419	Template:PAGR
Banga	063030010	222	224	Template:PAGR
Bangladan	063030011	348	366	Template:PAGR
Banuyao	063030012	898	937	Template:PAGR
Baraclayan	063030013	400	414	Template:PAGR
Bariri	063030014	133	143	Template:PAGR
Baybay Norte (Poblacion)	063030015	2932	3013	Template:PAGR
Baybay Sur (Poblacion)	063030016	998	969	Template:PAGR
Belen	063030017	191	199	Template:PAGR
Bolho (Poblacion)	063030018	457	387	Template:PAGR
Bolocaue	063030019	195	194	Template:PAGR
Buenavista Norte	063030020	385	413	Template:PAGR
Buenavista Sur	063030021	291	293	Template:PAGR
Bugtong Lumangan	063030022	327	350	Template:PAGR
Bugtong Naulid	063030023	203	197	Template:PAGR
Cabalaunan	063030024	252	258	Template:PAGR
Cabangcalan	063030025	137	144	Template:PAGR
Cabunotan	063030026	306	243	Template:PAGR
Cadoldolan	063030027	151	113	Template:PAGR
Cagbang	063030028	310	321	Template:PAGR
Caitib	063030029	634	564	Template:PAGR
Calagtangan	063030030	423	481	Template:PAGR
Calampitao	063030031	798	826	Template:PAGR
Cavite	063030032	209	203	Template:PAGR
Cawayanan	063030033	261	285	Template:PAGR
Cubay	063030034	753	830	Template:PAGR
Cubay Ubos	063030035	162	158	Template:PAGR
Dalije	063030036	1809	1627	Template:PAGR
Damilisan	063030037	1305	1295	Template:PAGR
Dawog	063030038	826	830	Template:PAGR
Diday	063030039	760	767	Template:PAGR
Dingle	063030040	379	427	Template:PAGR
Durog	063030041	1064	1072	Template:PAGR
Frantilla	063030042	162	190	Template:PAGR
Fundacion	063030043	339	316	Template:PAGR
Gines	063030044	685	752	Template:PAGR
Guibongan	063030045	977	1089	Template:PAGR
Igbita	063030046	324	236	Template:PAGR
Igbugo	063030047	505	523	Template:PAGR
Igcabidio	063030048	300	322	Template:PAGR
Igcabito-on	063030050	344	461	Template:PAGR
Igcatambor	063030051	312	326	Template:PAGR
Igdalaquit	063030052	205	182	Template:PAGR
Igdulaca	063030053	706	708	Template:PAGR
Igpajo	063030054	380	332	Template:PAGR
Igpandan	063030055	303	317	Template:PAGR
Igpuro	063030056	468	538	Template:PAGR
Igpuro-Bariri	063030057	304	314	Template:PAGR
Igsoligue	063030058	460	452	Template:PAGR
Igtuba	063030059	1157	1345	Template:PAGR
Ilog-ilog	063030060	233	175	Template:PAGR
Indag-an	063030061	694	623	Template:PAGR
Kirayan Norte	063030062	1727	1834	Template:PAGR
Kirayan Sur	063030063	1440	1475	Template:PAGR
Kirayan Tacas	063030064	1087	1376	Template:PAGR
La Consolacion	063030065	451	471	Template:PAGR
Lacadon	063030066	682	692	Template:PAGR
Lanutan	063030067	470	549	Template:PAGR
Lumangan	063030068	796	792	Template:PAGR
Mabayan	063030069	213	226	Template:PAGR
Maduyo	063030070	169	163	Template:PAGR
Malagyan	063030071	1409	1641	Template:PAGR
Mambatad	063030072	939	982	Template:PAGR
Maninila	063030073	1063	1139	Template:PAGR
Maricolcol	063030074	339	359	Template:PAGR
Maringyan	063030075	674	558	Template:PAGR
Mat-y (Poblacion)	063030076	2346	2197	Template:PAGR
Matalngon	063030077	161	136	Template:PAGR
Naclub	063030078	647	577	Template:PAGR
Nam-o Sur	063030079	217	211	Template:PAGR
Nam-o Norte	063030080	291	307	Template:PAGR
Narat-an	063030082	591	759	Template:PAGR
Narorogan	063030083	226	239	Template:PAGR
Naulid	063030084	800	820	Template:PAGR
Olango	063030085	335	333	Template:PAGR
Ongyod	063030086	176	208	Template:PAGR
Onop	063030087	291	268	Template:PAGR
Oya-oy	063030005	297	308	Template:PAGR
Oyungan	063030088	1417	1495	Template:PAGR
Palaca	063030089	2142	2178	Template:PAGR
Paro-on	063030090	299	130	Template:PAGR
Potrido	063030091	403	363	Template:PAGR
Pudpud	063030092	514	598	Template:PAGR
Pungtod Monteclaro	063030093	302	320	Template:PAGR
Pungtod Naulid	063030094	171	161	Template:PAGR
Sag-on	063030095	390	332	Template:PAGR
San Fernando	063030096	428	464	Template:PAGR
San Jose	063030097	466	439	Template:PAGR
San Rafael	063030098	1303	1204	Template:PAGR
Sapa (Poblacion)	063030099	822	679	Template:PAGR
Saring	063030100	416	422	Template:PAGR
Sibucao	063030101	338	371	Template:PAGR
Taal	063030102	197	191	Template:PAGR
Tabunacan	063030103	514	504	Template:PAGR
Tacas (Poblacion)	063030104	759	747	Template:PAGR
Tambong	063030105	205	188	Template:PAGR
Tan-agan	063030106	556	569	Template:PAGR
Tatoy	063030107	605	647	Template:PAGR
Ticdalan	063030108	425	312	Template:PAGR
Tig-amaga	063030109	252	228	Template:PAGR
Tig-Apog-Apog	063030110	281	257	Template:PAGR
Tigbagacay	063030111	274	230	Template:PAGR
Tiglawa	063030112	183	165	Template:PAGR
Tigmalapad	063030113	528	521	Template:PAGR
Tigmarabo	063030114	451	505	Template:PAGR
To-og	063030115	157	134	Template:PAGR
Tugura-ao	063030116	314	304	Template:PAGR
Tumagboc	063030117	415	442	Template:PAGR
Ubos Ilawod (Poblacion)	063030118	1003	800	Template:PAGR
Ubos Ilaya (Poblacion)	063030119	896	918	Template:PAGR
Valencia	063030120	465	475	Template:PAGR
Wayang	063030121	229	240	Template:PAGR

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Miagao was 68,115 people,Template:PH wikidata with a density of Template:Convert.

Languages

Almost all people in Miag-ao speak Kinaray-a as it is the primary language of the municipality. Hiligaynon is spoken as a second language by many and is especially useful when going to Iloilo City where Hiligaynon is the dominant language.<ref>Ethnologue - Languages of the World</ref>

Healthcare

File:Barangay Health Service (BHS) Zones of the Municipality of Miagao, Iloilo.png

Barangay Health Service (BHS) Zones of the Municipality of Miagao, Iloilo

The municipality's healthcare services is under the management of the Miagao Municipal Health Office (MHO), headed by its Municipal Health Officer, Rural Health Physicians, Nurses, Midwives, and other allied health workers and staff. The MHO is directly under the administration of the Local Government Unit.

The Municipal Health Office ensures that the delivery of basic services and provisions of adequate facilities relative to health services provided under Section 17 of the Universal Healthcare Law of the Philippines (Population-based Health Services) are effectively implemented.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The main components of the Municipal Health Office include the following:

• MHO Office including the headquarters of its different health programs
• First-aid Clinic
• Out-patient Clinic
• Birthing Clinic
• Animal Bite Treatment Center
• DOTS Center and COVID-19 Swabbing Center
• The 19 Barangay Health Stations (BHS) spread across the municipality
  • The Main Health Center (MHC) caters to three BHS, namely: MHC-A, MHC-B, and MHC-C

There are also other private medical, dental and veterinary clinics, laboratories, and pharmacies located primarily in the poblacion area.

Economy

Agriculture

File:Miagao - Onion Capital of the Visayas.JPG

A road sign seen upon entering the first barangay (Barangay Calampitao) of the Municipality of Miagao from Iloilo City.

File:Azolla in ricefield.jpg

Azolla or water fern, a known biofertilizer, freely grows in the submerged rice paddies in the upland barangays of Miagao.

The municipality of Miagao is a largely agricultural town. Around 52% of the municipal land area is classified as agricultural and around 40% of the total land area is planted.<ref name="miagao.tripod.com"/> Rice is the primary crop of the town while corn is considered as a secondary crop.

Miagao is hailed as the "Onion Capital of the Visayas" because it is the largest producer of bulb onion not only in Western Visayas but in the whole Visayas and Mindanao.<ref>News Feature: Miagao town prides itself as onion capital of Western Visayas Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Miagao town notes increased onion production Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Other Crops: Volume of Production by Region and by ProvinceTemplate:Dead link</ref> In 2022, 92% of the region's onion production was produced by the municipality of Miagao which targets to further increase production by expanding the plantation area.<ref>DA eyes 200 hectares of onion plantation in W. Visayas</ref>

Other crops produced by the municipality include eggplants, peanuts, monggo, tomatoes, root crops, and bamboo.<ref>Socio-Economic Profile of the Municipality of Miagao</ref><ref>Miag-ao FITS Center Opens to Clients Template:Webarchive</ref>

Banks

Miagao is a financial center in southern Iloilo. The town has a total of five banks.

Infrastructure

File:Iloilo-Antique Road, Miagao, Iloilo, Aug 2024.jpg

Iloilo-Antique Road in Miagao

Public Transport

Miagao is strategically located along the Iloilo-Antique road.<ref name="Miagao Satellite Map"/> Because of this, transportation is not a big problem in the municipality. The town proper is Template:Convert from Iloilo City and Template:Convert from San Jose de Buenavista, the capital of Antique.<ref>Municipality of Miagao</ref>

Buses

Several bus companies operate in Miagao. Buses that ply the Iloilo-Antique, Iloilo-Caticlan via San Jose, and Iloilo-Manila routes pass by the municipality every day. Ceres Liner by Vallacar Transit passes by Miagao almost every 30 minutes on its way to Iloilo from Antique and vice versa.

Manila bound buses also pass by Miagao. Dimple Star Transport, Gasat/Valisno Transport, and Ceres Liner pass by Miagao every morning on their way to Manila. In addition, RM Liner also heads to Manila everyday but passes by Miagao early in the evening.

Jeepneys

Jeepneys serve the Miagao-Iloilo City route more frequently than buses. The typical jeepney can contain around 22 to as many as 34 or more passengers. The town is mainly served by Miagao-Iloilo City bound jeepneys but San Joaquin-Iloilo City bound jeepneys also serve the area. These jeepneys generally pass by every 10–20 minutes so catching a jeepney bound for Iloilo City is not a problem. Several mountain barangays of Miagao are also served by jeepneys because smaller modes of transportation aren't usually strong enough to climb steep and unpaved roads. In that case, habal-habal or plain motorcycles can also be used.

Jeepneys serving the hinterlands of the municipality include regular routes from the poblacion area to the following barangays:

• Miagao - Tiglawa/Banga via Banbanan/Cavite
• Miagao - San Jose via Banbanan
• Miagao - Tigmarabo via Banbanan/Oya-oy
• Miagao - Tig-amaga/Pudpud via Ticdalan
• Miagao - Tigmalapad/Igbita
• Miagao - Bacolod (barangay)
• Miagao - Dalije via Bacolod
• Miagao - Alimodias via Olango/Bacolod (rainy season) or via Pudpud (dry season)
• Miagao - Tigbagacay/Naclub
• Miagao - Maricolcol/Baraclayan

Tricycles

Tricycles are the most common form transportation in the municipality. These are the Philippines' version of tuk-tuk in other Asian countries. Tricycles are often limited to operate within the municipality but special and private trips to other places are allowed. Miagao has established several tricycle routes in the municipality. Tricycles are color-coded to indicate the route assigned to them. Yellow ones are northbound while blue ones are southbound. Green tricycles are bound to the mountain barangays of the town passing through barangay Mat-y. Tricycles assigned to operate within the town proper are colored red. The following table shows the routes of all tricycles-for-hire within the municipality of Miagao.

From	To	From	To	From	To	From	To
Miagao	Ubos Area	Miagao	Damilisan	Miagao	Tan-agan	Miagao	Naulid
Miagao	Baybay Area	Miagao	Narat-an	Miagao	Banbanan	Miagao	Calampitao
Miagao	Sapa and UPV Area	Miagao	Calagtangan	Miagao	Ticdalan	Miagao	Caitib
Miagao	Malagyan	Miagao	Tugura-ao/Gines Palaca	Miagao	La Consolacion	Miagao	Dawog
Miagao	Bagumbayan	Miagao	Igbugo/Cawayanan			Miagao	Igpuro
		Miagao	Ilog-ilog			Miagao	Guibongan
		Miagao	Igdulaca

Government

File:Miagao Municipal Hall, Iloilo, Aug 2024.jpg

Miagao Municipal Hall

As with other municipal/city level political administration in the country, Miagao is governed by popularly elected Mayor, Vice Mayor, and eight Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Members. The current government officials of the municipality are listed below.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Elected officials

Members of the municipal council (2022-2028):

• Mayor: ENGR. Oscar "Richard" S. Garin Jr.
• Vice Mayor: Macario Napulan, M.D.
• SB Members:
  • Hon. Japhet Grace N. Moleta, RN, MPG
  • Hon. Jun Carlu A. Napulan, MD.
  • Hon. Gemma Rei S. Nismal
  • Hon. Aaron M. Noble
  • Hon. Cezar N. Florece
  • Hon. Mario Thomas Nicolas P. Torrecampo
  • Hon. Ma. Salve N. Pechayco, MD
  • Hon. Richard E. Esposo
• Ex-Officio Member
  • Marlou R. Niones (LNB President)
  • Carlo Miguel Paguntalan (SK Federation President)

Highlights

File:Miagao Church right side corner (Iloilo-Antique Road, Miagao, Iloilo; 10-21-2022).jpg

The Miagao Church

File:Miagao Church Facade Closeup.JPG

Closeup view of the whole facade of Miagao Church showing its intricate baroque design with a touch of the native culture.

Miag-ao Church

Template:Main The Miagao Church, or the Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva, was built in 1786 by Spanish Augustinian missionaries and was declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines" in 1993. On the front facade, which is flanked by two watchtower belfries, one can see the unique blending of Spanish and native influences.

The central feature of the bas-relief facade is a large coconut tree which reaches almost to the apex. While an integral part of the Philippine landscape, the coconut tree is also the subject of lore. According to an old Philippine legend, the coconut tree was the only bequest from a loving mother to her two children, a tree which sustained them for life. On the church's facade the coconut tree appears as the "tree of life" to which St. Christopher carrying the Child Jesus on his shoulder is clinging to. The lesser facades feature the daily life of Miagaowanons during the time. Also depicted are other native flora and fauna, as well as native dress.

The church and its watchtowers were also built to defend the town and its people against raids by the Moro people. It therefore has thick walls and, reportedly, secret passages. Indeed, stretching along the Iloilo coast are defensive towers, but none that equal the size of the Miagao. It is because of this defensive purpose that it is sometimes referred to as the Miag-ao Fortress Church.

Education

The primary and secondary education in the municipality of Miagao is under the jurisdiction of the Division of Iloilo under the Department of Education Region 6.<ref>Department of Education, Region IV</ref> Miagao is subdivided into two school districts namely, Miagao East and Miagao West. The schools under each district as well as private, secondary, and tertiary schools in the municipality are listed below.<ref>Division of Iloilo</ref>

Elementary education

Miagao East elementary schools: Template:Columns-list Miagao West elementary schools: Template:Columns-list

Private primary schools:

• Kaunlaran Learning Center (KLC)<ref>Miagao Website</ref>
• Acorn Dale Montessori
• Jophiel the Archangel Academy

Secondary education

Secondary schools:

• Alejandro Firmeza Memorial NHS
• Bacolod NHS
• Kirayan NHS
• Miagao NHS
• Palaca-Damilisan NHS
• San Jose NHS
• San Rafael NHS
• Supt. Arsenio M. Napud Memorial NHS

Private secondary schools:

• Doanne Christian Fellowship Academy
• Kaunlaran Integrated School Foundation INC
• St. Louise de Marillac School of Miagao<ref>Private Schools - Philippines</ref>

Colleges and universities

University of the Philippines Visayas

File:U.P. Visayas Miagao New Admin Bldg., Aug 2024.jpg

UP Visayas administration building

The Miagao campus of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) spreads out over 12 km² on the outskirts of the town proper. This is the main campus of UPV which is composed of the UPV College of Management (CM) in Iloilo City, UPV High School in Iloilo (UPVHSI) in Iloilo City, UPV College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), UPV School of Technology (SoTech), and the flagship college of this campus, the UPV College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) which focuses on marine science, aquaculture, fish processing, natural products development, and post-harvest/food science. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Thailand and Cambodia sent exchange students to the school to study fish and rice production, and after graduating returned home where they began out-producing and out-exporting the Philippines in these commodities.

Iloilo Science and Technology University - Miagao Campus

The Iloilo Science and Technology University - Miagao Campus (formerly Southern Iloilo Polytechnic College) is one of the tertiary institutions in the municipality. The college started as Miagao Regional High School in 1945 and became the Miagao Vocational School in 1958. In 1984, Miagao Vocational School was converted to Southern Iloilo Polytechnic College (SIPC) to meet the demands of the changing times and for expansion purposes. SIPC was then integrated to Western Visayas College of Science and Technology (now Iloilo Science and Technology University) on November 24, 2000, by virtue of the Republic Act(RA) No. 7722, otherwise known as the “Higher Education Act of 1994 and RA No. 8292". Currently, the school offers courses in the fields of electronics and technology, hospitality, and primary and secondary education.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media

• DYUP-FM 102.7
• DYUP-AM 873
• Hot-FM Miag-ao
• Falconite – FM/AM Miagao

See also

• Baroque Churches of the Philippines
• Organization of World Heritage Cities

External links

• Template:Official website
• [[[:Template:NSCB detail]] Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
• Local Governance Performance Management System
• Template:Cite EB1911